"She [McCarthy] came to Russia, to Moscow, for several days specially to become familiar with the Pussy Riot trial," Verzilov said, adding that McCarthy was invited to the trial by the lawyers for the defense.

The Pussy Riot punk band defense has made a seventh motion for the recusal of Presiding Judge Marina Syrova.

Yekaterina Samutsevich's lawyer Violetta Volkova said that the judge had a direct or indirect interest in convicting the defendants, which was proven by her numerous violations of the Criminal Procedure Code.

"The judge refused to provide the defense with evidence or even to listen to the defense's petitions," she said.

In Volkova's words, she saw "the judge talking to the aggrieved party's lawyer in a closed-door room last week." Syrova also declined the demand for court video recordings, which could confirm her illegal communication with the aggrieved party's defense.

"The trial cannot go on under such circumstances, and the judge must recuse herself," she said.

The lawyers of other Pussy Riot defendants supported the statement.

0Interfax

Russia

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Pussy Riot

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Society